Related

The best way to overcome your fears and any phobias is to stare them straight in the face. Which is how I found myself at the end of a long rubber hose, in a cage with bars spaced too wide apart for my comfort, in the cold waters of the Pacific Ocean, waiting for a Great White Shark to appear.

Everyone has a fear of being eaten by a shark, but my phobia had more to do with breathing through a tube under water, which is why I never took my hand off my mouthpiece.

Sharks are an apex predator, the king of the oceans. Great Whites are at the top of the food chain, partly for taking large bites out of people on occasion. Nonetheless, there are those who think its fun to crawl in a cage and get close with a Great White, just to feel what its like to be utterly terrified.

The Red Triangle stretches from Monterey Bay in the south to San Francisco in the north. If you want to come face-to-face with a Great White, this is a great place to do it. It is a protected marine sanctuary, a rich feeding ground for salmon and seals, and home to the largest Great White Sharks on the planet.

"Why are you measuring the bars on the cage?" the dive leader asked me as we donned our wetsuits aboard the MV Tamalpais.

"Just so I can I can see how far a shark can stick its nose inside the cage," I replied, using a measuring tape.

"I've never seen anyone do that before," she replied.

"Why isn't there a top on the cage?" I asked.

"We need to run all the air hoses through the top," she replied.

"Has a shark ever gotten into the cage because there is no top?" I asked.

Experts agree that the maximum size of a Great White is about 20 feet, with a maximum weight of about 4,200 pounds. The average length is 13 to 16 feet. The reason for the fearsome size of Great Whites in the Red Triangle is due to the rich feeding grounds of the marine sanctuary.

Marine experts fear many shark populations are in rapid decline because of mankind's fear, or being accidentally destroyed in trawler's fishnets. There has also been an alarming increase in the lucrative fin trade, where sharks are killed strictly for the value of their fins as a luxury food item in Asia. An estimated 100 million sharks around the world are killed every year and experts believe the Great White will most likely become extinct soon.

Fear of sharks is termed galeophobia. Sufferers experience extreme anxiety near water. Hollywood films like Jaws that depict sharks as calculating, vengeful monsters have had much to do with exacerbating this irrational fear. Most of the 300 species of sharks found in the oceans rarely attack.

"We had a Great White swim up to the cage last week, nosing around," said the dive leader as I prepared to go for a dip. "It was awesome. Enormous, very graceful, very slow. You could reach out and touch the skin, it was so close."

This was also information I did not need to know. It was very cold in the cage. There is no sound audible below the surface of the ocean aside from a horrible rasping gargle that certain terrified divers emit as they struggle to maintain their composure. Where do you put your feet? Look, that woman has her arm sticking outside the cage!

On this day the Big Fella does not deign to make an appearance, and I was freezing and grateful to get back on board. Suddenly there was a scream. Next to where I was a moment ago, a Great White has struck an unsuspecting elephant seal foolish enough to go for a swim.

The surface of the ocean was covered in an expanding pool of dark blood as the frenzied shark tore the 300-pound body of its prey to little bits. Chunks of body parts drifted through the waves.

The safest way to learn a lot more about Great Whites is at the Monterey Bay Aquarium or on their website. Last summer the aquarium collected a 4-foot, 7-inch male from near Marina del Ray. You can watch him enjoying the habitat of the aquarium's one-million gallon Open Sea tank via their webcam. Feeding time is 11 PDT. Hopefully, the menu doesn't include divers, phobic or otherwise.

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.